The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-08-11

i
when the deep baying of hound broke
out startlingly upon the air. 1t sounded
but short distance of, and seemed to
be coming directly toward the house.
Father rose quickly from his seat,
and waited anxiously for further de-
velopments. That any one had the
audacity to ride straight toward his
farmhouse in pursuit of the game did
not seem possible to him. Yet the bay
ing hound was evidently approaching
the house. and would be in the clearing
in another five minutes.
Suddenly crash of underbrush in
the forest could be heard. and the next
moment several deer leaped out into the
clearing. and bounded up the opposite
hill. Like the wind they were out of
sight. Then all was still for several
minutes.
Once more came the crashing of some
animal through the forest. This time
it was not so loud, intimating that a
smaller animal was seeking safety
from the pursuing hound. Father had
his rife in his hands, ready to shoot the
hound, if necessary. He valued the
lives of his pet deer higher than that of
a mt.rderous dog. whose only good in
the world seemed to be to make sport
for its master.
When the pursued creatures finally
reached the clearing, and leaped forth,
it was sight such as to make any
heart melt with pity. A handsome doe,
followed by a small fawn, whose slight
strength was rapidly giving out, stood
trembling before us. The eyes of the
mother were dilated with fear, more, l
thought, for its young one than itself.
The little fawn looked up pleadingly
! at its mother, as much as to ask if it
could not lie down and rest. The
mother, in turn, looked at us for mo-
ment and seemed to plead for safety.
There seemed TO be a mutual recog-
milton between father and the helpless
creature. The two had doubtless seen
each other many times before. but never
at such close range. The doe hesitated
only for a moment With a bound or
two it was close to our side, with the
little fawn tottering feebly at its side.
A few yards from us it stopped again,
and father, dropping his rifle, ap-
preached the two motiOnless creatures.
The mother leaped back step or two,
but the fawn quietly rolled in the grass,
exhausted.
With a gentle stroke Of his hand
father smoothed back the soft hsir of
the small creature, who did not seem
to object to his attention. There was
another moment of hesitation on the
part of the mother, as if she were de-
batting within herself the advisability of
leaving her young in the care of father.
The deep bayings of the hound startled
her from her reverie, and she turned her
head toward the opposite hills, and gave
a fewleaps forward.
Her motherly love was strongly man.
ifest in all her actions; for she stopped
short third time, and turned around
to look at us. The fawn was still lying
calmly on the grass, looking wistfully
toward its mother, but apparently too
weak to follow. Father was gently
stroking its hair, and trying to show the
doe in every possible way that he would
protect the little creature for it.
The doe took the hint and seemed sat
isfed. The next moment it was bound
ing up the hill with the swiftness of the
wind, while the fawn, with a pleading
look at us, dropped its head on the
grass. '.
When the pursuing hound burst forth
from the forest, l held the little tremb-
ling creature in my arms, while father
took up his rifle again. and prepared
himself to defend it. With nose close
to the ground the fierce dog rushed
toward us. until he caught sight of
fathers rifle pointed at its head. The
sight of the fawn spurred him on, but
the fear of the deadly weapon. which he
had doubtless learned the nature of
long before, stopped him when within
a few feet of us.
Father told the hound to charge,
which he did after reluctant look at
his victim. Then, fastening a chain to
the collar which he wore, he took the
baffled creature to a tree, where he was
securely chained,
The hound proved to be merely one
of pack which had become lost in the
chase. The hunters had not ventured
on fathers ground, and the whole dis
turbance had been caused by one stray
dog. The owners of the canine never
had the courage to call for their prop
erty, aHd so father kept the hound for
his own use, and, in time, trained him
so that he would not attempt to chase
the deer when loosed.
That night Jim and 1 had our ambi-
ton realized. We had pet fawn
whose back we could stroke at pleas
ure, and who seemed delighted to feed
out of our hands. There were various
schemes proposed by us as to what we
should name our pet, and where we
should keep it. But father tumbled
them all to the ground when he said
that he expected the mother of the lit
tie creature to call for it in the MORN
ing. and that he would be in honor
bound, compelled to give the animal
up to its rightful owner. 1t was dis
appointing to us, but we were made to
see the force of fathers arguments.
and so did not make any further pro-
tests against them.
The fawn WAS a nretty LITTLE crea-